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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/25833871">Find Hell With Me</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/seventhTense/pseuds/seventhTense'>seventhTense</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Persona 5</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>90 percent Persona Lore/10 percent Another Game's lore, Goro-typical swearing, M/M, NOT a ng+ au, POV Akechi Goro, canon-typical fight scenes, flirting and testing and taunting, more-than-canon-typical violence (happens off-screen), we all learn what AU this is as Goro does!</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-08-10</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-08-10</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-18 00:14:49</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>2</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>16,037</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/25833871</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/seventhTense/pseuds/seventhTense</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>At the start of his investigation into the Phantom Thieves, Goro Akechi has already hit a snag in the form of the group's cocky, smirking leader, Akira Kurusu. The punk seems immune to any form of intimidation Goro tries- if anything, Kurusu only seems to get more excited the harder Goro tries.</p><p>But there's something beneath that smile, something more than the unearned confidence of a neophyte rebel. Kurusu seems to know more than he's letting on, seems way the hell more capable than he should be, and Goro is going to find out what the <i>hell</i> is going on here, no matter what.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Akechi Goro/Amamiya Ren, Akechi Goro/Kurusu Akira, Akechi Goro/Persona 5 Protagonist</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>17</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>169</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Collections:</b></td><td>Quality Persona Fics, Shuake Big Bang 2020</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>1. Chapter 1</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>At long last, here's my fic for the Shuake Big Bang 2020! I'm really excited for this fic, and for the amazing art at the end of it by <a href="https://twitter.com/in0tteri?lang=en"> @In0tteri on Twitter, </a> and for this AU as a whole!!! </p><p>Tw for some nasty violence that's described vaguely- it doesn't happen during the fic, just the aftermath is generally described, but best to be thorough with these kinds of warnings X}P</p><p>More notes at the end of Chapter 2, for now, enjoy!!!</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>In the still of the night of June 9th, and through most of the latter half of the day as well, Goro Akechi struggled with an emotional sensation he had never experienced before, one he was not certain he liked. </p><p>In the depths of his heart, scarred and closed-off for so many years, raged a whirlwind of deep, furious frustration and intense, electric excitement, all at the same time, all from the same source. It was the strangest thing he had ever felt, and he’d been dealing with all the violent, elemental and psychological status effects that came with delving through the Metaverse for two years now. He felt <em>hot</em>, not just in his skin, but like there was a plume of flame billowing out from where his heart and his lungs were, but at the same time felt like he could run a marathon through the full length of Mementos. He wanted to punch something and throttle something and pin something to the wall and mark it as his with his teeth, and the something had a very specific face and a very distinctive smirk and its name was Akira Kurusu.</p><p>Goro wasn’t sure he liked this new, confusing combination of feelings he was feeling, but he had a feeling that he’d be feeling it a hell of a lot more from here on out.</p><p>It wouldn’t have been so bad if Kurusu hadn’t been so damn <em>cocky</em>. After catching sight of the illustrious Phantom Thieves running around Ichiryusai Madarame’s Palace while Goro was performing a routine inspection, it had taken only a few short days before he was able to match the hair, voices and attitudes of the masked idiots with the faces of the three outcasts from Shujin Academy and Madarame’s one remaining pupil. After that, it was a fairly simple matter to suggest to Shujin’s Principal that he bring the second years over to a taping of one of Goro’s interviews, and an even simpler matter to approach their supposed ‘Leader’ while he was alone.</p><p>Or, it was supposed to be simple. In Goro’s mind’s eye, his plan would be twofold and perfect. He’d just so happen to walk by the Thieves while their bizarre monster-cat-but-also-a-real-cat-in-reality-and-honestly-what-the-fuck-was-up-with-that friend was talking, drop a subtle, but not imperceptible hint that he could understand the cat and thus had seen them in the Metaverse before. Then, after the interview, when his friends had gone home, he would have approached the bumbling, gormless, black-haired teenager, subtly implied that he had caught Goro’s attention, that the Thieves were attracting a dangerous sort of trouble that they’d be unable to counter, and easily intimidate the punk and his punk friends into backing down, so they wouldn’t become a potential headache or a potential target for Goro later. The thought of goddamn Shido ordering him to kill people his own age, and more than that, the first people he had seen with powers like his rubbed Goro the wrong way, and the thought of those same kids actually getting in the way of his years-long scheme to destroy Shido rubbed him the wrong way so hard that his neck might just snap.</p><p>In a sane world, in a just world, it would have been as easy as that, and then the precipitous rise of the Phantom Thieves would have come to a sudden, terrified halt. </p><p>What actually happened was just... <em>infuriating.</em> From the moment Goro walked up to him, Akira Kurusu seemed like he was several steps ahead of the detective. Every subtle taunt Goro made, every veiled threat only made the Thief grin all the wider, made the delighted glimmer in his eye grow all the brighter. The motherfucker even had the gall to <em>talk back to him,</em> to claim that the Thieves wouldn’t back down to even an insurmountable threat like the one Goro was practically promising,were they to continue. The smug asshole wasn’t cowed or threatened in the least- if anything, after all the promises of retribution, after they exchanged phone numbers and promised to have a Round 2 of sorts very soon, Kurusu seemed...</p><p>...<em>excited</em>. Fascinated. Like an electric current was running through his veins and a billowing fire was pluming up behind his eyes. The look he gave Goro before they parted held none of the anger Goro saw in his own when he looked into the mirror that night, and all of the shimmering, thrumming, bottled-lightening anticipation Goro was trying to pretend he didn’t also feel for the next time they’d meet.</p><p>It was enraging. This smirking, cocky motherfucker was just <em>enraging</em>.</p><p>When Goro was enraged, Goro made plans. Well, first Goro vented his boundless anger on the weak, feeble bodies of the shadows in Mementos, then, after he got home and took a long, hot shower, he made plans.</p><p>If Goro was to cut this bullshit off at the source, before it got out of hand, he’d need more information. Obviously, threatening the Thieves into stopping what they were doing was a hopeless endeavor- even with the implication that he knew their identities and knew about the Metaverse, their leader didn’t seem discouraged in the slightest...</p><p>...<em>fuck</em> and now he was thinking about that <em>fucking</em> smirk again, <em>goddamnit</em> Goro,  <strong><em>focus</em></strong>.</p><p>(He knew he should have taken a cold shower instead of a hot one...)</p><p>Goro slapped his cheeks a few times, then hunched back over the notebook he had been taking his Phantom Thief notes in once more. So, threats were a no-go, at least in the real world. Directly intimidating them in the Metaverse was a possibility; he had caught Madarame saying something about Goro’s distinctive black mask right before his Palace collapsed, so they’d recognize him as a threat if he showed up while they were driving around Mementos or something. </p><p>...except if they saw him as a threat, the hot-headed idiots might try to take him on in a fight, and as skilled and powerful as he had gotten over the past two years, Goro wasn’t wholly confidant that he could hold back in a real battle. Considering how weak they were compared to him, he’d likely either seriously injure or actually kill some of them, and the whole idea here was to avoid having to do that in the first place.</p><p>So, no direct intimidation in reality, no direct intimidation in the Metaverse... clearly online threats didn’t bother them, or the couple-dozen forum posts on their idiotic ‘Phansite’ would have shut them down ages ago. He could turn someone close to them berserk, perhaps, but that would probably just make the justice-obsessed twerps all the more determined to fight back against him, and he hated having to do that to non-criminals anyways. Turning them into the cops was an option, but it also wasn’t really, because turning them in to normal cops would require evidence that their crimes in the Metaverse were real, which he couldn’t provide, and turning them in to the cops under Shido’s thumb, who already knew about the Metaverse, would end up with the kids beaten or abused or dead.</p><p>Goro was starting to feel that burning, sparking anger again. This would have been so <em>easy</em> if that smug shithead had just taken a hint, but nooooooo. </p><p>No, Goro was stuck. There wasn’t any path forwards right now, at least not with the information he currently had. If he could get more details on the Thieves’ character, on their abilities, on what the hell they were actually doing in the Metaverse, maybe he could suss out a path he wasn’t able to see right now-</p><p>-oho. And perhaps the perfect opportunity had just showed its head. Next to his notebook, on the simple Muji table he did most of his Detective work and homework on, his phone lit up suddenly with a couple of LINE messages from none other than the leader of the Phantom Thieves himself. With an intrigued, almost hopeful smile, Goro tapped the message open and read.</p><p>Kurusu: Hello, Detective</p><p>Oh christ he even sounded smug in a text, fuckin-</p><p>You: Ah, Kurusu-kun.<br/>
Good to hear from you<br/>
so soon.</p><p>You: How can I be of<br/>
assistance?</p><p>Kurusu: You free to meet<br/>
up this weekend?</p><p>Jesus this kid moved fast.</p><p>You: Eager, aren’t we?</p><p>You: Haha, I’m only teasing.</p><p>You: This weekend works<br/>
for me. How about Saturday?</p><p>Kurusu: Can’t do Saturday,<br/>
already made plans with<br/>
my friends for then.</p><p>Kurusu: Sunday work for you?</p><p>Goro just barely held himself back from digging his thumbs through his phone screen. He ‘already made plans’ for Saturday, well, goodness gracious! What a <em>popular, beloved, in-demand</em> piece of shit. Goro had half a mind to tell the goddamn interloper to take his undoubtedly jam-packed Saturday and all his fucking friends and shove them up h-</p><p>Wait.</p><p>Wait a second.</p><p>Kurusu was going to spend Saturday <em>with his friends. </em></p><p>The only friends Goro had seen Kurusu spend time with in any substantial way over the past few weeks of observation had been the blonde idiots and that artist.</p><p>Oho... oh this might be a <em>perfect</em> opportunity.</p><p>You: Sunday should work<br/>
for me as well.</p><p>You: Shall we meet in<br/>
Kichijoji, perhaps? There’s<br/>
a cafe I quite like there,<br/>
and a charming Darts and<br/>
Pool hall that serves those<br/>
of our age range as well.</p><p>Kurusu: That sounds great.<br/>
Let’s hit up the pool hall<br/>
first, though, work up an appetite.</p><p>You: Sounds like a plan!</p><p>You: Enjoy the rest of your<br/>
week, Kurusu-kun. See you<br/>
on Sunday.</p><p>Kurusu: It’s a date~ 😉</p><p>Goro did throw his phone across the room at that last comment, though he had just barely enough self-control to make sure it landed on his couch cushions rather than shatter satisfyingly into a million billion pieces as it flew out the window and crashed into the sidewalk. Imagining that happening was almost as good as the real thing, and, as he had found in his earlier days working for Shido, before he got his anger issues a little more tightly under control, a lot less expensive too.</p><p>After a few deep breaths to vent out his frustration, though, Goro realized he was feeling a lot better. Actually, he was feeling <em>fantastic</em>. Sunday, he could try again to scare Kurusu into submission, and even if the bastard still didn’t give in , Goro could try and mine some information about the Thieves out of him at the same time.</p><p>As for Saturday... well. If Goro’s deductions were correct, and they usually were, Saturday might end up being even more illuminating as to the great Phantom Thieves’ true nature.</p><p>Perhaps he’d be able to figure out just what they were doing to their targets that left such a violent, bloody mess behind.</p><p>---</p><p>Goro realized a little belatedly that it would have been very easy for him to end up unlucky here- just because Kurusu said he had ‘plans’ on Saturday didn’t necessarily mean that those plans were Metaverse-related. He could have easily just been going to hang out with someone else, and then Goro would have had to sit there like an idiot watching Kurusu and some random dumb teenager stuff their faces with Big Bang Burger for hours, or whatever it was teenagers did these days.</p><p>But thankfully, luck was on Goro’s side, for once. Begging out of his last class for the day, Goro raced over towards Shujin Academy as fast as he could, waited in the alleyway across from the school’s front gates for Kurusu to show his face, and once he did, carefully followed him and his blonde friends to the Shibuya subway station. After that, it was a simple matter of watching them meet up with Kitagawa and vanish into Mementos, waiting a few moments, then following them in himself.</p><p>The trick came with following them <em>after</em> that part. Teenagers were easy enough to follow on foot in the city, but Mementos offered very few hiding places and no crowds to stay concealed in.</p><p>Not to mention the fact that their monster-cat-shadow-whatever-the-fuck-that-thing-was-friend just so happened to be able to<em> transform into a <strong>fucking car.</strong></em></p><p>So, in addition to making sure he wasn’t able to be seen in any sort of feline rearview mirror or anything, Goro had to book it as fast as his legs could carry him after a goddamned motor vehicle, powering through the exhausting sprint thanks to his well-trained stamina and an overflowing font of fury pouring through his mind that these pieces of shit had a <strong><em>CAR</em> </strong>to gaily drive through the endless, rough-hewn tunnels of this fucking place.</p><p>Spite and anger had been his primary fuel sources for years now though, so thankfully Goro was able to keep a decent pace, and catch sight of them battling at least a couple times, carefully sliding behind one of the rib-like pillars lining the side of Mementos’ tunnels as he observed. At least the Thieves were bumming around Aiyatsbus, where his Loki outfit would blend in most seamlessly with the strange, blue tint of the walls. </p><p>From what he could tell, Goro’s initial assessment of the Phantom Thieves was pretty much on-point on all counts. Takamaki, Sakamoto and Kitagawa were neophytes when it came to combat, Kitagawa moreso than the other two, presumably due to the fact that he only recently joined up. The monster cat thing- they called it Mona, from what Goro could hear- was far more adept, leaping and bounding about the fight with strength that didn’t quite match its tiny form, swiping its scimitar through a shadow, then smoothly turning to launch a blast of cutting wind at another, before leaping out of the way of one of Sakamoto’s brutish, clumsy swings.</p><p>But Kurusu.</p><p>Akira fucking Kurusu.</p><p>He was different.</p><p>As far as Goro could tell, each of the Phantom Thieves had a Persona, and with their Persona, one of each weapon type that Goro had found on himself when he first awakened; some kind of melee weapon, a ranged weapon (Goro would just say a gun, but the cat seemed to be using a slingshot, somehow), and of course their Persona’s magical and physical spells. </p><p>Except Kurusu. As the others tore off their masks and invoked the name of their guardian, Kurusu barked out a laugh, spread his arms out wide, and called out in some language Goro wasn’t familiar with. Something that looked vaguely like Curse Magic energy started to swirl around him, his floofy mop of hair starting to dance and shift in some unseen wind, before a huge shock of what Goro hoped desperately to be some kind of pure black magical energy, but what sure looked like fucking <em>hair</em> burst out from the back of Akira’s head, arcing up into the air and then back down into the ground. Where the hopefully-not-hair met the earth, a large, glowing ring that Goro could only describe as a magic circle, like in wizard anime or shit like that, formed around Kurusu’s feet.</p><p>Behind him, out of thin air, another matching ring of runes and lines formed, a black portal opening up within it, and something, some <em>creature</em> stepped out of it. It was humanoid, but twice as tall as any human Goro had ever heard of. It wore a blood red, half-length red jacket, knife-heeled boots that ran up the entire length of its legs in the same hue, a pure white cravat, and an absurdly tall stovepipe top hat. Every other part of its body, from its chest to its face to its long, claw-fingered arms was either made up of the same swirling, pitch-black maybe-magic-energy-maybe-hair-god-please-let-it-not-be-hair that coiled and spun from Kurusu’s head, or glowed magically in a hellish red.</p><p>As the creature stepped out of its portal, tethered to it by a tail-like coil of black energy, it let out a chuckle, an eerie, malevolent mimicry of the same laugh Kurusu had made, then spread its claws wide, two black-energy wings snapping into existence from its back.</p><p>The creature turned towards a frightened-looking Nue, chuckled again, and <em>tore it to fucking shreds.</em></p><p>Goro had never felt guilty for killing a shadow before- hell, he buried the revulsion he felt from killing the shadows of real people deep, deep down in the locked-off part of his heart a <em>long</em> time ago. But watching that creature rip and tear into that Nue like it was the villain in some torture-porn horror flick?</p><p>Goro felt like he was gonna throw up.</p><p>He took a few moments to get himself under control, triple-check that he hadn’t made any noises or moved at all while watching that... display, or while recovering mentally from it, but he was good, and a minute or two later, after the shadows were defeated and the Thieves had scooped up any yen or miscellaneous items the shadows had left behind, they all piled back into their cat-van and sped off. Goro didn’t follow them this time. He had all the information he needed, for now.</p><p>As he headed back up through Mementos and out into the Shibuya station, Goro’s thoughts drifted back to what he had heard about the crime scenes left behind at the last known locations of the Thieves’ last two major targets, and how that matched up with what he had just witnessed.</p><p>Suguru Kamoshida and Ichiryusai Madarame. Both men were horrible criminals, on par with the kind of scumbags Goro was forced to run with in Shido’s upper echelons. Both men were delivered what the public were referring to as Calling Cards, thanks to the whole Phantom Thief thing, vaguely referring to the mens’ crimes and promising to make the men confess their misdeeds with their own mouths. </p><p>Both shortly before and immediately after those calling cards had been delivered, both men had become far more aggressive and blatant about how corrupt they were, deep down. Kamoshida had apparently become enraged, training Shujin’s men’s volleyball team so hard and so abusively that one student ended up with several broken bones. Madarame had started verbally lashing out at his assistants, and to everyone else started talking almost exclusively about his former pupils, spewing every insult in the book at them and claiming with ever-more-obvious egotism that their only skills or gifts were due to his influence. </p><p>Most significantly, a few days later, both men were found dead, torn to horrible, bloody pieces at their place of work, with signs of an intense, vicious battle all around their remains. Kamoshida’s office at Shujin had become a blackened, burned husk overnight, janitors coming in the next morning to find the walls disfigured, the furniture warped, all stained with blood. Madarame’s shack had become a veritable disaster zone, neighbors reporting a horrific squealing of metal and terribly loud <em>sloshing</em> noises coming from within its halls over the course of the night, police the next day finding the interior of the place almost totally gutted, walls and sliding screen doors torn and broken apart, what little was left standing covered in a messy mixture of blood and what appeared to be thick, oily, sludge-like paint.</p><p>At first, Goro had thought all of this to be some kind of advanced, warped variation of the berserk state he was able to put people into thanks to Loki. Perhaps the Thieves misguidedly believed that breaking someone mentally like that would force them to confess their crimes, or perhaps they simply had very little understanding of their own powers as a whole.</p><p>Now, though. After seeing what he had just seen from Kurusu...</p><p>Goro wasn’t one to jump to conclusions, neither as a Detective or just in his personal life. He got angry a lot, got emotional a lot, but was disciplined enough to separate that side of him from how he analyzed and thought about the world as a whole. He wasn’t superstitious or religious, he held tight to his observational skills and what he could learn from the loose-lipped denizens of Mementos.</p><p>That said, it sure as shit looked like Kurusu was summoning a fucking demon back there. The magic fucking circles, the horrible, violent way the ridiculous and terrifying creature fought, the fucking <em>incantation</em> Kurusu had shouted out before summoning it??? Sure looked pretty demon-like to Goro!!! Again, he wasn’t superstitious, but after two years in the Metaverse, Goro had learned that there were some things that just went beyond common sense and logical, rational human understanding of the ways of the world, and this sure as shit seemed like a prime goddamned example of it!!!!!!!</p><p>Goro took a deep breath, let it out slowly, loosened the death-grip he had been forming on the handle of his attache case. Easy. Easy. He had more information now, and a theory. Somehow, Kurusu was able to summon a demon to fight for him, rather than a Persona, and intentionally or otherwise, used said demon to warp the minds of the Thieves’ targets, and then kill them extremely violently in the real world, for some reason. It wasn’t a lot to go on, but it was <em>something</em>, and it left him with a good starting point to try and subtly interrogate Kurusu about when they met up the next day.</p><p>Fuck, Goro was gonna need a lot of energy for that. Maybe he’d get something nice to eat on his way home...</p><p>...he thought of that demon again, of the chill that ran down his spine at the laugh it made and the claws in its hands that were so red they looked as if they were still dripping with Madarame’s blood...</p><p>...maybe he’d just go for a shitton of coffee instead.</p><p>---</p><p>With an eye towards being over-prepared instead of under, Goro arrived an hour and a half early in Kichijoji the next day, his casual wear fresh and clean, hair artfully disheveled, mind sharp and buzzing from A Lot of Coffee, and ready for whatever awaited him once Kurusu arrived.</p><p>Fifteen minutes later, Kurusu strode out of Harmony Alley, a delighted smile lighting up his face as he saw Goro had arrived even earlier than he did.</p><p>Little shit.</p><p>“Hello, Detective~” Kurusu called out as he approached, and oh god it sounded even smirkier and smarmier in real life than it did over text. If this was going to be this punk’s fucking catchphrase when greeting Goro, Goro was gonna break his own kneecaps. “I see you’re as eager for our little date as I am.”</p><p>Goro’s face <em>twitched</em>, muscles spasming with more strength than Goro was able to control, and oh the pleased little smile on Kurusu’s face when he saw the twitch was blood-boiling. “Haha,” he laughed airily, quickly yanking his Charming Prince persona over himself to cover all the murderous thoughts pumping through him. “Young people really are so bold these days, aren’t they, calling a casual meet-up a ‘date’ of all things. It makes me feel terribly old, if I’m honest- though I am your senpai, so I suppose it’s only natural for you to act more childish than me!”</p><p>Goro laughed again, light and soft, opening his eyes just a hair to see if his taunt pissed Kurusu off- oh dear <em>god</em>, <strong><em>yes</em></strong>, his cocky little smirk shrunk and vanished, only a slight curl of the corner of his mouth left in its place, and his eyes looked annoyed as all hell. There was a small, strange twinge in Goro’s guts, to see Kurusu looking so disappointed, but the vast majority of his soul was singing <strong><em>SUCK IT, YOU COCKY PIECE OF TRASH!!!!!</em></strong> in a high angelic choir, so he only barely noticed.</p><p>“Well, shall we head in?” Goro asked after an only slightly awkward silence passed between them, gesturing to the stairs behind him. Kurusu just nodded, and Goro smiled all the more. “Excellent. Follow me, then, I’ll get everything set up.”</p><p>Penguin Sniper was as absurdly, fashionably retro as always, the techno-y music and vaguely futuristic vibe of the decor making it feel like a high-end bar from the 90‘s. Goro spoke with the bartender and paid for all-you-can-play billiards, gesturing to Kurusu to follow him once he had handed over the 800 Yen.</p><p>“This is a pretty cool place,” Kurusu commented, sounding sincere, his head on a swivel as he followed Goro to the pool table. “Way different than the other places I’ve seen in Tokyo so far.”</p><p>“Hm?” Goro cocked his head to the side slightly, giving Kurusu a curious look as he started to set up the game. “An interesting turn of phrase... I take it that you aren’t a city local then?”</p><p>Kurusu smirked at him, though it seemed more rueful than cocky. “You’re the detective, detective. Had a hard time finding my file at the station or something?”</p><p>Goro frowned just a little, giving Kurusu a dry look. “I have a little more respect for privacy than to just look up the records of everyone I meet, Kurusu.” In all honesty, he <em>had</em> tried to find Kurusu’s files the day after they met, but only abortively, feeling strangely wrong for digging into the boy’s past halfway on his walk to the records department. If he was being professional about this, or even just being smart, he’d get all the info he could on the leader of the Phantom Thieves, but... he didn’t. Goro wasn’t sure why it felt so wrong to look, but he hadn’t. “Frankly, I’m a little insulted.”</p><p>“Oh, uh, sorry,” Kurusu instantly looked apologetic and embarrassed, which was deeply satisfying to see, even though Goro hadn’t played any mind games to get the reaction. Kurusu reached up and started toying with his bangs, a nervous habit Goro likely would have found endearing... had he not seen what Kurusu could do with his hair the other day. Instead, he just felt far more tense, and tried to re-focus on arranging the billiard balls as Kurusu continued, “Pretty much everyone I know has heard about my, uh, past so far, so I guess I just assumed... sorry.”</p><p>Goro waved a hand, finishing with the table and grabbing two cues from the rack in the back. “It’s not that big of a deal, Kurusu. Though I am curious how ‘everyone you know’ would have heard about your past, if its something that I’d only learn were I to look at your criminal record.”</p><p>That nervous, slightly rueful smile again, and Kurusu shook his head. “Not really the right topic for a fun, low-stakes game of billiards with a new friend. Next time, maybe.”</p><p>“...alright, then.” Damn. If Kurusu saw things that way, Goro likely wouldn’t be able to get any juicy information out of the boy while they played- at least not by talking. Still, he could learn a lot from his reactions, his skill level, posture, stance, et cetera. Not to mention that the plan Goro had cooked up for how he’d handle the billiards game itself was going to be very satisfying indeed. </p><p>It was still annoying, though. “I’ll hold you to that,” Goro said, voice light but full of promise as he handed Kurusu’s cue to him. “Shall I start us off?”</p><p>“Sure,” Kurusu nodded, taking the pool cue and holding it uncomfortably, uncertainly. “I’m kinda... new to this, so...”</p><p>Goro smiled all the more, kindness on the outside and toothy, cruel excitement on the inside. “No worries. Just follow my lead and I’m sure you’ll do just fine- you come off as a quick learner, after all.”</p><p>Kurusu gave a quick nod and a shaky smile, and the game began. Goro walked him through the basics of the game as he lined up his first shot, making sure to use his non-dominant hand as he struck. </p><p>He had started playing this little game of his a long time ago, back when he first had to learn how to master the pool table so he didn’t humiliate himself in front of Shido’s rich, pompous, cigar-chugging friends. It was simple enough to use his right hand, letting the fools have a quick, not-too-easy, not-too-hard win to butter them up, all while self-satisfiedly crowing in his heart how easily he could tear them to pieces on the felt if he so chose. </p><p>The game went fairly straightforwardly from there on, each of them taking their turns, making alright-but-not-expert-level shots for a good ten minutes or so, Goro enjoying that warm, sadistic feeling in his guts as Kurusu bumbled about like the beginner he was...</p><p>...wait.</p><p>Wait a god damned second.</p><p>It wasn’t that Kurusu was using his non-dominant hand or anything- as far as Goro could tell, he was using the same one that he held his dagger with in Mementos. In fact, there wasn’t a single flaw or oddity in Kurusu’s play itself. He came off exactly as the beginner he claimed to be- if, as Goro commented, a quick learner.</p><p>What made Goro’s eyebrows raise and his throat tighten up was the tone of Kurusu’s voice during the few moments he spoke. After missing a shot, he’d pipe up with a light “Awww,” or a satisfied “Heheh, nice,” when he’d sink the ball he’d been aiming for, or a dozen other little noises and comments throughout his play.</p><p>All in a distinctly higher. more carefree pitch than Goro had heard him speak in before.</p><p>After he noticed that, it was simple to see the other signs- an amused twinkle in Kurusu’s eyes whenever Goro had acted as the teacher, a slight adjustment off-center of his cue right at the last second before making his shot, a hidden smile, a sharp, calculating gaze as Goro stepped up for his turn.</p><p>This motherfucker was <em>playing him.</em></p><p>Goro felt the lacquered wood of his cue tremble and creak as his grip on it grew tight and vicious enough to crack the damn thing in two. Barely keeping his rage from his face, Goro strode up to Kurusu’s side as the Thief took aim, his tongue poking out from the corner of his mouth as he played the <em>fucking <strong>Himbo</strong></em> trying to figure out how to make the impossible shot that was currently lined up for him. Goro walked right up next to him, leaning his cue against the table as he got close, and put a hand on the boy’s shoulder. His grip was tight, just shy of bruising, and he leaned over into Kurusu’s space until his lips were bare centimeters from his ear. </p><p>“<em>Do not,</em>” he hissed, slow, deliberate, absolute murder dripping from every word, “<em><strong>toy</strong> with me, Kurusu.</em>”</p><p>Kurusu turned towards Goro, Goro moving back just slightly so he could give a deadly glare right to the boy’s eyes. Kurusu looked surprised, then impressed... and then a second later, <em>deeply</em> dangerous, a wicked smile carving across his face like a knife. “Same back 'atcha, <em>Detective</em>,” he murmured back.</p><p>Without looking, Kurusu shifted his stance, the position of his arms shifting drastically, and he only glanced towards the table briefly before he struck, pulling off a flawless masse shot that easily sunk the otherwise impossible-to-hit ball.</p><p>Goro felt his hand squeeze twice as hard on instinct as he watched, the blood rushing through his ears almost enough to drown out the unpleasant-sounding <em>pop</em> from Kurusu’s shoulder.</p><p>Kurusu didn’t react in the slightest. He just kept on grinning that nasty, wicked grin as Goro dropped his hand, snatched his cue up, and started resetting the table for another round.</p><p>And another after that. And another.</p><p>With both of them now playing to the fullest extent of their abilities, their pool matches were intense enough to be a nationally-broadcast spectator sport. Victory only came after lengthy struggle, and only barely every time. By their fourth game, both men were sweating, Goro’s arms sore from the amount of precise strikes and trick shots he had to pull off just to keep pace with Kurusu.</p><p>His heart was beating a mile a minute though, and that same fiery, lightening-current of fury and excitement was thrumming through him as he made the final shot, winning the game but only bringing their total score to a measly 2-2 tie. Goddamnit, he would <em>not</em> let this end on a fucking <em>tie...</em></p><p>“...darts!” Goro barked, roughly shoving his cue back where he found it and stalking back past the pool tables and towards the entrance, fishing out another 800 yen from his clammy pockets. “We’re doing darts next!”</p><p>“Hah... alright!” Kurusu sounded as simultaneously drained and full of energy as Goro felt, but he didn’t spare the bastard a single glance as he shoved the money at the amused-looking bartender.  Goro hadn’t brought his personal darts set with him today, but <em><strong>fuck it,</strong></em> he was going to destroy this son of a bitch if he had to beat him at darts with a set of bent spoons and a blindfold on.</p><p>Kurusu met him at the DARTSALIVE<strong>™</strong> machine, and of course the bastard had brought <em>his</em> set of professional-grade darts with him, <em>of course</em> he had. <em>Whatever.</em> Goro grabbed three from the small bin of darts by the board and set it up for a round of 701. “I'm going first,” he announced, not caring if Kurusu objected.</p><p>He didn’t. “Fine with me, Akechi,” he said, hands up defensively, and what the fuck was with the small trill of excitement at finally hearing Kurusu use his name what <em>the <strong>fuck</strong></em><strong>.</strong></p><p>Whatever! This was no time to be thinking about that shit, he had a game of darts to conquer. Shoving any uncomfortably warm feelings or confusingly pleasant physical reactions his body was having at just the sound of his name on this fucker’s lips all out of his mind as best he could, Goro focused wholly on blowing Kurusu’s score out of the goddamn water.</p><p>Bullseye. Bullseye. Bullseye. The board flashed with a satisfying display of color and sound, Goro smirking with satisfaction at getting a Three in the Black on his first turn. He turned to Kurusu-</p><p>-Kurusu was smiling. Kurusu was smiling in enjoyment, sure, but he was smiling a very <em>sadistic</em> looking smile too, and Goro felt his skin crawl in apprehension. They switched places, and Kurusu readied his throwing arm-</p><p>Three 60s, one after the other, an almost rhythmic elegance to how Kurusu tossed them.</p><p>And now there was an unsightly 180 underneath Goro’s 150 on the point tally. </p><p>Mother<em>fucker.</em></p><p>Taking a risk that Kurusu wouldn’t be able to replicate the trick, Goro went for the bullseye again, but again, all three of Kurusu’s landed in the triple-20 spot, and now Goro had to score a piddly 41 points to close the game and he fucking <em>missed</em> the double-20 spot because he was so pissed off and had to go for two 20s and a 1 and <em><strong>fuck this guy!!!</strong></em></p><p>“<em>Again!</em>” Goro barked, whirling around to glare daggers at Kurusu-</p><p>The Leader of the Phantom Thieves was smiling again, and there was a victorious air in the smile, sure. But even with all his rage, all his hate for this smug punk who had the gall to come in here and be<em> better than him</em> at the shit he had trained for weeks to be the best at... even with all the emotions thrumming through him, Goro couldn’t deny what he saw.</p><p>Kurusu looked <em>happy</em>. Not at Goro’s expense, just genuinely, thoroughly happy. Sweat still dripped from his brow, his mouth was still parted a little as he breathed a little heavily, but it came off as if he was just giving his all into what he was doing, that for the first time in a long time Kurusu <em>had</em> to give his all, had to do everything in his power in order to win.</p><p>No, that... Goro was a good detective, but he couldn’t see all that just from a smile. Looking inside himself, though it was his least favorite thing to do in a life full of things he hated doing, Goro knew that he was projecting all of that onto Kurusu’s exhausted, satisfied, eager grin. </p><p>Goro was pushing <em>himself</em> to his limits, and Goro hadn’t had to push himself to his limits in well over a year. Metaverse trips, plotting to double-cross Shido, talk shows and school work, all of that had become so simple and so second-nature to master that without knowing it, Goro had become <em>bored</em> in the pursuit of his grand vengeance, his life’s goal.</p><p>But he sure as fuck wasn’t feeling bored now. if anything, Goro felt...</p><p>...Alive.</p><p>“Actually, to be honest, I’m a little tired,” Kurusu admitted, and Goro hated the swell of disappointment in his gut at the mere mention of ending his time with Kurusu so soon, hated himself for feeling it so sincerely, so fully. The thief’s smile turned kind though, and a little embarrassed, and he continued, “But, uh, you mentioned that cafe near here? Maybe we could go cool down there for a bit? My treat, since you fronted for this place.”</p><p>“...okay,” Goro found himself saying, hoping desperately that his exhaustion covered up the soft sincerity he wasn’t able to keep out of his voice. Kurusu’s smile grew all the more, and with a nod he started putting his things away and retrieving his coat from where he had taken it off earlier during their billiards deathmatch.</p><p>A handful of minutes later saw them sitting down at <em>Miel et Crepes,</em> Goro placing an order for two iced coffees and, at Kurusu’s request, a tray of macarons for the both of them. Their orders arrived a few minutes later, Goro having always appreciated this place’s quick service, and after several sips and a few bites, conversation started flowing shockingly easily between the two of them. Kurusu spoke about his experience with bar games like that, his mother apparently having taken him to a number of weird bars throughout his childhood (Goro wasn’t sure whether to be jealous of that or not, frankly), Goro explaining his own skill away as something he had to learn to impress his superiors in the Police, which wasn’t wholly untrue. </p><p>From there, they spoke about their view of the police as an institution, Kursuu quickly breaking down how absurd it was for Goro to speak favorably of them, Goro only bothering briefly with his usual lip service to law and order before admitting that they did treat him like shit most of the time. They spoke of law, of social philosophy and politics, of their shared love of cafes and coffee, their clashing, secretly held loves of sweets on Kurusu’s side and savory dishes on Goro’s, dumb kids at their schools and dumber teachers, on and on for hours, until the sun, so high when they had first arrived that morning, started to disappear behind the shops and skyscrapers around Kichijoji.</p><p>The two boys parted with promises to hang out again as soon as their schedules allowed, acknowledging that since they were both pretty busy most of the time, Goro with detective work (and Metaverse visits) and Kurusu with a combination of schoolwork and having to put in hours at his guardian’s cafe (and Metaverse visits), they would make up for when they couldn’t hang out with texts and phonecalls.</p><p>It took the whole of the train ride home and the walk up the four flights of stairs to his apartment for Goro’s feelings on the day to settle and his heart to calm down, and he was furiously embarrassed to find that he was still smiling, just a little, when he went to wash the concealer off of his face and happened to look in the mirror. More than anything, Goro felt deeply confused, so, so many sensations and emotions and thoughts swirling around inside him that he found himself unable to get to sleep for hours, his mind too busy replaying and replaying the day’s events.</p><p>More than anything, Goro’s thoughts circled and circled around Akira Kurusu.</p><p>More than anything, Goro felt the familiar, noose-like sensation of obsession settling upon him.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0002"><h2>2. Chapter 2</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>It took over two weeks for Goro and Kurusu to meet up again, and even then, it wasn’t intentionally. They still chatted, texts exchanged daily and calls exchanged almost as often, just as promised. But every time one of their schedules opened up enough for them to propose a meet-up, the other was totally swamped.</p><p>In the end, their paths happened to cross when they were <em>both</em> swamped, Goro with routine check-ups on the states of the Palaces of Shido’s accomplices, and Kurusu, as Goro was furious to discover, busy infiltrating the Palace of Junya Kaneshiro.</p><p>Biting back the anger at the Thieves once again picking one of Shido’s allies as their target (and thus putting themselves ever more directly in Goro’s crosshairs, if he wanted to keep up his cover as Shido’s obedient lapdog), Goro had to appreciate the opportunity that had fallen in his lap. He had caught sight of the Thieves while he was checking over the monitors in one of Kaneshiro’s many security rooms, finding them almost finished with unlocking the path to the great vault at the heart of the Bank. It was a pretty perfect opportunity for Goro to gain intel; unlike in Mementos, there would be no need to keep himself hidden or struggle to keep pace with them. Goro could just watch their escapades from within the relative comfort of one room, his knowledge of the way the computers there worked allowing him to track their progress room by room, step by step.</p><p>It quickly became apparent to Goro that while this was a great opportunity for information gathering, it was a real shitty way to spend his time if Goro cared at all about his blood pressure or his stress levels. As a whole, the Phantom Thieves’ work through the Palace wasn’t anything particularly special or interesting to look at; Sakamoto, Takamaki and Kitagawa were as bumbling as ever, even if they were more experienced bumblers than the last time Goro had seen them fight and sneak about. The cat-monster was still as skilled as ever, though it seemed to be focusing more on healing than the fighting and observational duties Goro had observed last time, most of that work going to the Thieves’ newest member, a girl dressed like some post-apocalyptic biker and who, if Goro squinted, looked a hell of a lot like Sae Nijima’s younger sister. </p><p>But as with the last time, the Phantom Thieves as a whole weren’t Goro’s main point of focus. That honor fell to Kurusu, who once again was blowing Goro’s expectations out of the water with all the force and subtlety of a full power blast of Megidolaon. </p><p>He was as mesmerizing to watch as he was infuriating. Every shadow that crossed him, every puzzle that fell in his way, every awkward set of shadow-linked security cameras and too-tight vents to crawl through and unwieldy gaps in the flooring to traverse, every single part of this fucking Palace that had given Goro trouble when he first started out was destroyed, solved and maneuvered around with a blithe kind of ease that Goro both envied and abhorred in equal amounts.</p><p>The last straw was in the vault room itself. After finding the first of Kaneshiro’s clues and easily solving the first keycode, Kurusu seemed to gesture the rest of his team away from heading into the next sub-area, in search of the next few clues. Instead, he just strode up to the huge wall of the vault, and striking the same pose he had before, called his demonic, top-hatted beast out yet again. The thing spread its wings and flapped over towards the wall, grabbed it, its blood-red claws digging into into the metal strong enough to dent-</p><p>-and with a mighty, vicious tug, pulled at the thing until the bolts beneath the floor that held it in place snapped like twigs, and the creature was able to spin it around until the opening was facing the rest of the Thieves, watching the display with eyes and mouths wide.</p><p>Goro stared at the screen, thoughtless until his body registered the sharp pain of his clawed gauntlets digging through his bodysuit and into his palms from how tight he was squeezing his fists. This was it. This was too god damned much. The last straw.</p><p>This motherfucker would<em> not show him up again.</em></p><p>
  <em>Goro had had <strong>enough.</strong></em>
</p><p>The halls of Kaneshiro’s Palace whisked past Goro as he dashed through the place, barely noticing as he slid past and sliced through any shadows stupid enough to get in his way. It was a short ride down the final elevator, into the vault, and Goro made it in time to leap up on top of the wheels of the place just as the Thieves were returning from where Kaneshiro’s treasure was held. He waited until they were just close enough to the safe room nearby to drop their guard...</p><p>Without a warning or a word, Goro dropped down in front of the group, sword in one hand and pistol in the other. The Thieves came to a sudden, shocked stop, muttering amongst themselves, Takamaki commenting something about his mask, the new girl who was definitely Sae Nijima’s younger sister (and what the fuck???) shouting something demanding and question-like at him-</p><p>-but Goro’s eyes were trained on their leader. The only one that really mattered out of them all. The only real threat. Goro’s only equal.</p><p>“<em>You,</em>” Goro managed, voice hoarse and raspy from the fury coursing through him. He lifted his pistol, aiming straight at Kurusu’s calm, composed, curious face, and saw the rest of the Thieves get into battle positions next to him. Unimportant. </p><p>Kurusu didn’t flinch. His hands were still in his <em>fucking</em> pockets.</p><p>“I am <em>so <strong>goddamn</strong> sick of you,</em>” Goro continued, every part of him but his aim shaking from emotion as he spat out curse after curse. “So fucking <em>confidant</em>, so <em>capable</em>, treating this shit like its some merry walk in a Sunday <em>fucking</em> park!” </p><p>The others were still talking ,still trying to distract him or interrupt him, but Goro’s focus was as singular and tight as the barrel of his gun. “I don’t know what those fucking powers of yours are, I don’t know what occult-ass shit you’ve got going on, but I have had <strong><em>enough</em> </strong>of sitting back and watching you breeze along like this is <em>all some fucking <strong>game to you!!!</strong>”</em></p><p>Goro’s finger tightened on the trigger, and the Thieves must have noticed, because even in his limited peripheral vision Goro could tell that they were all about to move, to strike first, but Kurusu held up a hand, and like the fucking dogs they were they heeled. Goro clicked the safety off on his gun, clenched his hand around the grip of his saber, and took a single step forwards. “You’re gonna tell me what the fuck is going on, every last detail about this demonic shit you’re pulling, or I am going to <strong><em>break you.</em></strong>”</p><p>There was silence for a good ten seconds, though it felt like minutes, hours even. Eventually, Kurusu finally took one of his hands out of his pocket, raised it up to his mask as he spoke. “You know... I can’t place why, but despite the black mask and everything, you look awfully familiar.”</p><p>Goro froze for a split second- no, no there was no way that Kurusu figured out his identity <em>already</em>, fucking <em>minutes</em> after seeing him, not with how well his outfit disguised him, Kurusu could <em>not be that fucking perceptive too, Goro <strong>would not let him.</strong></em></p><p>He took another step, shifting his aim from Kurusu’s face to his heart. “<em>Tell. Me.</em>” He repeated, slow and with a promise of violence in his voice were Kurusu to disobey.</p><p>Kurusu’s response was to toss his mask off to the side- revealing it to be just paper, just a literal mask, above needing to even deal with the pain of ripping it off to manifest his powers.</p><p>He grinned, sharp and dangerous, challenge blazing in the grey of his eyes.</p><p>Goro charged.</p><p>The rest of the Thieves moved quickly to intercept, but as much as Goro’s attention had been focused on Kurusu, he had been keeping a close eye on their fights throughout the Palace too, and already had a feel for their fighting styles. He ducked beneath a swing of Sakamoto’s club, blocked a swipe of Kitagawa’s katana, blasted Takamaki and the cat monster off their feet with a blast of Megidolaon before they could shoot off a spell his way, and knocked Nijima and the two boys out all at once with a single, critical shot of Loki’s Riot Gun. </p><p>Goro rose up from the crouch he had lowered into, the crumpled, unconscious bodies of the Phantom Thieves spread around him. He turned slowly to where Kurusu still stood, not having moved since Goro charged in, and in some distant sector of his mind, Goro wondered if that was due to cocky confidence, or because he knew that Goro would go all-out the instant that Kurusu got involved, and he didn’t want his less-powerful teammates in danger of actually getting killed.</p><p>Either way, it pissed Goro the hell off. With a roar, he charged again, sword raised high, ready to carve Kurusu into fucking pieces-</p><p>As he ran, before his eyes, Kurusu changed. He said something, another oddly powerful phrase in that language Goro didn’t recognize, and that pitch-black energy started to coil around him again, only more this time, tighter, pressing and squeezing and covering his limbs and his chest and the whole of his body-</p><p>When the transformation finished, barely a second after it began, Kurusu looked like a cross between his longcoated Thief’s outfit and the demonic creature he had been summoning earlier. His coat had shrunk, the same short cut as the demon’s, but black where its had been red. His vest and slacks had been replaced by a pitch-black bodysuit, startlingly similar to Goro’s, though without the stripes, and his legs were covered by the thigh-length boots the demon had worn, these as bright red as before.</p><p>The boots were high-heeled, almost stiletto-like, but the heels were replaced by deadly-sharp knives. Where Kurusu’s blood-red gloves had been, now there were clawed gauntlets, again like Goro’s, in that same red, another dagger held in each hand.</p><p>Kurusu’s hair was still as short and fluffy as usual, but it danced and shifted in an otherworldly breeze. His eyes glowed red, and his grin was as cruel and murderous as any Goro could manage on the worst of his worst days.</p><p>A step before Goro got within striking distance, Kurusu moved.</p><p>Their fight was as blindingly fast as it was overwhelming as it was all-consuming for every iota of Goro’s being, his body, his mind, his focus. He swung his sword, Kurusu deflected, aimed his gun at Kurusu’s knees, but they were gone, lifting up to slash at Goro with the daggers on his heels. Goro dodged, then ducked, then slid across the metal floor to avoid three bullet-fast attacks, and got the wind knocked out of him anyways as Kurusu slammed the full length of his leg into Goro’s lower back, knocking him the rest of the way to the ground.</p><p>Goro rolled out of the way as soon as he could think again, putting as much distance between the two of them as he could, but Kurusu was barely a yard away as soon as Goro rolled back to his feet, coming in with a flurry of dagger slashes, moving almost like a breakdancer, curving and bending his body to attack Goro from all angles, with all limbs. Goro was barely able to swing his sword around in time to block each strike, regretting for the first time how big his serrated blade really was. </p><p>It ended up being his downfall, too. Soon enough, Goro ended up having to twist his arm and his grip on the sword into an awkward-as-hell position to block a slash from Kurusu’s legs that would have cut his goddamn foot off if it had connected, leaving him vulnerable for another kick out of fucking nowhere to send his sword scattering off across the floor, too far for Goro to run and retrieve it before Kurusu would be able to strike again. </p><p>With a furious, desperate growl, Goro lifted his other arm and did his best to block the next flurry of blows with the body of his gun instead, wishing that he had chosen Robin Hood’s garb instead, if only for the bulkier, more rounded heft of his laser pistol, but not a second later his gun, too, was kicked from his grip.</p><p>No other options left to him, Goro cried out, broken and mad, and tackled Kurusu to the ground, one arm wrapped around the thief’s torso, the other pulled back and launched forwards in a gaunleted punch the instant they hit the floor. Kurusu wheezed, and the satisfaction from getting even that much of a reaction dulled Goro’s reaction time just enough for Kurusu to jam his knee against the soft, vulnerable meat of Goro’s inner thigh. Goro recoiled just slightly in pain, Kurusu using that split-second to toss him off to the side.</p><p>The instant Goro felt his back hit steel, Kurusu was on him, a hand pinning each of his wrists to the ground, the hard, almost bone-like leather of his boots crushing Goro’s legs down to the point where he could barely even twitch them. </p><p>He lost.</p><p>The battle haze clearing from his mind, Goro looked up into the face of his destroyer, and was struck dumbfounded by almost the exact same expression that Kurusu had shown him after their darts competition, all exhausted and joyful and <em>happy</em>, with just the slightest, rougher edge from a split lip and a trickle of blood from Kurusu’s nose where Goro had managed to get a hit in.</p><p>Seeming to pick up on how stunned stupid Goro was, Kurusu took a chance and let go of one of Goro’s wrists, bringing his hand up to grab Goro’s visor-like mask, pausing for just a second before pulling it off. </p><p>Kurusu’s smile only softened further when he saw Goro’s face, fully revealed, and he spoke, his voice remarkably steady for how much he was still struggling to catch his breath. “I had a feeling it was you... good. That’s... really good.”</p><p>That managed to break Goro out of his stupor, rage flooding through him again. “<em>How,</em>” he hissed. “How could you have <em>possibly</em> thought it was me of all people-”</p><p>“Well, it was partially your voice,” Kurusu admitted, and Goro snapped his mouth shut at such a mundane answer. That... that was fair. That was a perfectly logical deduction to make- it pissed Goro off, sure as shit, but it wasn’t unreasonable, or some bullshit magic power that Kurusu had and Goro didn’t. </p><p>Kurusu’s expression shifted again as he panted, still catching his breath. His smile grew a little rueful, and a lot more appreciative, and Goro didn’t know what to do with a torrent of <em>appreciation</em> of all things directed at him from this guy. “Mostly, though, I just... had a feeling, I guess. That the one human who’s ever managed to match me... would end up being the guy that that... fake-god asshole was planning to set up as my rival too.”</p><p>With that oblique-as-hell statement, Kurusu got up off of Goro and offered him a hand. Goro just blinked at it for a few seconds, mind too busy trying to figure out what the <em>hell</em> Kurusu meant by all of that to process the hand in front of his face. Eventually, Kurusu just chuckled, and patted the top of Goro’s helmet a few times before moving off towards his fallen friends.</p><p>That at least managed to piss Goro off enough to motivate him back to his feet. Once he was standing again, he watched Kurusu for a bit as the thief moved towards Takamaki’s collapsed form, his vaguely demonic transformation melting off him like ink in water as he neared her, rummaging in his longcoat’s pockets once they returned and retrieving a Revival Bead. He pressed it into Takamaki’s hands, then once she started stirring, he moved and did the same for the others.</p><p>Goro sighed, feeling very tired all of a sudden, and moved to retrieve his weapons as Kursuu did his thing. That done, he turned back to see Kurusu hovering over the monster cat’s body, rummaging through his pockets with ever-increasing desperation, seemingly having run out of beads. With another sigh, Goro took pity on the man, and summoned Loki to cast a quick Samecarm on the weird creature.</p><p>Kurusu looked up in surprise, quickly shifting to heartfelt gratitude, which Goro also had no fucking idea what to do with. He just looked off to the side, and after a few seconds, over the groans of the other Thieves as they fought their way back to consciousness, Goro asked, “What did you mean by ‘the only human,’ Kurusu?”</p><p>The thief paused in the middle of a stretch, arms stretched out over his chest as a smile spread across his lips. “...come with me, and I’ll show you.”</p><p>Goro crossed his arms, not really liking the sound of that, but his desire for information outweighed his dislike of being ordered around. “Fine. Just make sure these idiots don’t try to kill me before we get out of here.”</p><p>Kurusu chuckled ruefully at that, and as Goro headed over to wait by the safe room, the thief spoke to the rest of his team for a few minutes, the others apparently requiring quite a bit of convincing before they were willing to trust their beloved leader’s judgment on Goro’s trustworthiness. Which was fair, all things considered.</p><p>With cautious glances and angry glares, the rest of the Thieves filed into the saferoom under Goro’s watch. Kurusu was the last in, taking a moment to ask Goro “Can you wait for a couple minutes before leaving the Palace? They don’t exactly-”</p><p>“It’s fine. Smartest thing they’ve done all day, probably,” Goro waved his hand as he spoke, brushing Kurusu’s obvious and unnecessary worries aside.... then smirking dangerously. “Besides, its pretty obvious who they are anyways. I don’t need to see them walking out of the Metaverse for that.”</p><p>“Yeaaaaaah, I kinda had a feeling... though if I tell them that, they’re probably just gonna panic again...” He looked off to the side, muttering the last bit to himself more than anything, and Goro felt somewhat comforted that Kurusu didn’t seem to quite have the whole ‘Leader of a group of vigilantes’ thing quite under control yet. Goro wouldn’t know what the fuck to do about that either, though, other than play the Detective Prince for them to the best of his abilities, so he couldn’t feel <em>too</em> superior about it.</p><p>Goro gestured for Kurusu to get moving, and with another grateful nod, he vanished into the saferoom. Goro waited for five or so minutes before heading in and warping to the front of the Palace himself, guessing that was about enough time for them all to get out and scramble. A few moments later he was back in his blazer and slacks, concealed from the curious eyes of the public by the shade of the trees near the Buchiko statue.</p><p>Kurusu was nearby, leaning against one of the entrances to the subway station, and waved him over once he caught sight of Goro. With a deep breath, burying his frustration at being led by the nose as well as he could, Goro followed, and followed more as Kurusu led him down into the subway and onto a train that was just boarding. </p><p>“Where exactly are we going?” Goro demanded once they had sat down, arms crossed and trying to speak in the precise, hyper-annunciated tone he had picked up from when Shido tried to intimidate people.</p><p>Which was a pointless exercise, of course, because Kurusu was incapable of being cowed for some godforsaken reason. “Oh, well since you seem like you’re, uh, playing nice now, I thought we could use some privacy to talk.” He smiled, that not-really-happy one again, and shrugged. “Can’t really give you the answers you’re looking for out in public, Detective.”</p><p>“...hmph.” Goro didn’t say anything else in response, just tightened his arms more across his chest and turned to watch the tunnel zipping by outside while he waited. Had he a more sturdy grasp on his emotional state right now, perhaps he’d have had more to say, but frankly he still wasn’t entirely recovered from having been beating so overwhelmingly in battle by Kurusu. Goro didn’t know what the hell he was feeling after that, frankly, some foreign sensation swimming murkily around in his chest that wasn’t quite frustration, or anger or fear, but was almost like a combination of all of those plus... relief? But that didn’t make any sense...</p><p>The train jolted to a stop sooner than Goro expected, and he blinked away the darkened rabbit hole his thoughts had been tunneling down. Kurusu rose up, gestured with a smile for Goro to follow, and they left the train and the small station it had arrived at, coming out in, according to the signs, the small part-residential, part-business district of Yongen-Jaya. </p><p>“This way,” Kurusu said, and led Goro into a winding maze of back-alleys and side roads until they emerged in a small community hub of sorts, or what passed for a town square in these kinds of cramped Tokyo neighborhoods. It was packed with different types of shops, a doctor’s office, a grocery store, bars, apartment buildings and the like, all crammed tightly together, but not unpleasantly so. Kurusu maneuvered through the maze a little clumsily, clearly still not wholly accustomed to the ins and outs of the place, to the energy and atmosphere of the city, but doing a pretty good job at adapting for all that.</p><p>They ended up in front of a small cafe, and Goro’s eyebrows jumped up as he recognized the name of the place as the cafe Sae had often spoke fondly of- at least until recently, when she was forced to start pressing its owner for information about Wakaba Isshiki. Goro filed that curious little coincidence away in his brain to mull over later as Kurusu held the door open for him, and he stepped inside.</p><p>Leblanc was a nice cafe- old, with mismatched decor and visibly aging upholstery that spoke volumes of how little money the cafe made for its owner. There weren’t any customers around, which also spoke volumes considering it was three o’clock on a Sunday, and the only other person inside was the object of Sae’s inquiries himself, Sojiro Sakura. </p><p>He looked up from the paper he was reading, taking a cigarette out from where it hung limply between his lips as he did so, and offered what could very generously be called a welcoming greeting. “Hey. Take a seat wh- <em>oh.</em>”</p><p>Any traces of a welcoming attitude vanished as soon as Kurusu walked in behind Goro and Sakura caught sight of him. The cafe owner sighed, tapped some ash from his cigarette into a tray. “Another one of your friends, I take it?”</p><p>Sakura’s words weren’t cold, but Goro was shocked by how deeply unconcerned they sounded, eerily reminiscent of any number of foster parents Goro had been passed along to in his youth. Kurusu didn’t seem to mind though, or at least was accustomed to being treated that way, just nodding with that same kinda-sad smile. “Yep.”</p><p>Sakura grunted, then went back to his newspaper and his smoke, and that was that. Normally, Goro would have tried to turn up the charm, or say something polite and grateful for Sakura allowing him in, but Kurusu was already gently pushing him towards the stairs in the back of the cafe, and today was already too emotionally draining for Goro to want to bother with pleasantries that much, so whatever.</p><p>Goro climbed up the stairs, emerging into what was very obviously an unused attic somebody had haphazardly tried to convert into a bedroom, and even then had done a pretty half-assed job. Kurusu slipped around him at the top of the stairs, and gestured for Goro to take a seat on the ‘couch,’ which Goro was pretty sure was just an old, kinda torn-up booth seat from the cafe, then moved off to retrieve a chair and some other shit for himself.</p><p>He sat down, trying hard to resist the urge to scan his eyes slowly across the room, to take in every bit of information he could about the place- not because he wasn’t curious, but because Goro was here for information, and if he let himself get distracted by more mundane observations, he knew he’d just get lost in his thoughts like he always did.</p><p>That said, staying focused didn’t provide him with many answers either. As soon as Kurusu found his chair and what looked like a set of keys he quickly stuffed into his pocket, he scooted the seat over towards where Goro was, plunked it down, sat in it, and did not move or speak for a solid minute.</p><p>“<em>...well?”</em> Goro hissed when the silence dragged on for too irritatingly long, but Kurusu just pressed a finger to his lips, then pointed at the stairs. Goro grimaced, hating this so god damned much, but quieted and waited. When steps began to sound from the foot of the stairs, Kurusu quickly whipped out his phone and started tapping on it, Goro following suit on instinct, on the guess that it was some sort of cover for how quiet they had been.</p><p>A few seconds later, Sakura appeared at the top of the stairs, a tray with two steaming mugs of coffee in hand. “Here. I know you kids would only end up drinking some sugary crap if I didn’t, so...” he trailed off, setting the mugs down on the table, as well as a small bowl of sugar cubes and a teeny tiny little carafe of milk. Goro wasn’t sure what to make of how... thoughtful that all seemed, but decided to just categorize it as Sakura taking pride in his cafe, rather than caring for Kurusu and his freinds’ well-being.</p><p>“Thank you very much,” Goro nodded, beaming his charming smile Sakura’s way, only getting a gruff grunt and a nod for his trouble. Asshole.</p><p>“Thanks, boss,” Kurusu added, and with that, Sakura turned around without another word and headed back to his cafe. Once his back was turned, Kurusu held up a hand towards Goro, as if telling him to wait, then after a few seconds, when Goro heard the TV downstairs click on and the noise from some entertainment program start playing, Kurusu dropped it.</p><p>Goro frowned, not really sure what was going on, but not willing to just act at Kurusu’s whim any longer. Instead, he leaned forwards and lifted one of the mugs just high enough to take a curious sip- it was damn good coffee, Goro had been right to think Sakura took pride in what he made here. Goro added a bit of sugar and milk, and as he stirred it all together, Kurusu stood up and moved towards the stairs.</p><p>He lifted his hand up, and as Goro watched curiously, said something in that strange language once again. His eyes glowed, just for a second, and a magic circle similar to that which he had summoned his demon out of before flared to life over the stairs’ opening in the floor. The runes and lines spun a few times, then settled and faded away, the only sign left behind of their having been there at all being the sudden, total lack of sound from downstairs.</p><p>“He won’t come up and bother us any more,” Kurusu explained as he started walking towards his bed. “And this should stop him from overhearing anything, uh, <em>weird</em> while we all talk about... stuff.”</p><p>Kurusu trailed off as he kneeled down by his bed, reaching underneath to pull a sizeable black metal lockbox from where it was hidden between two plastic milk crates and holy shit, that bed was kept up by fucking <em>plastic milk crates???</em> Goro’s opinion of Sakura was already pretty low from how he had treated Kurusu earlier, but a thin-ass mattress on top of flimsy fuckin milk crates? He hadn't seen shit like that since his last few days in the fucking <em>orphanage.</em></p><p>Jesus christ. Goro hadn’t looked into the status of Wakaba Isshiki’s surviving daughter after... everything, knowing that if he stopped and gave his mind a chance to look for something to be guilty about, it’d be all he’d be capable of thinking of. Still, the psychological self-punishment might be worth it if there was a chance Sakura was treating the younger Isshiki as badly as he was treating Kurusu...</p><p>With a tired sigh, Goro shook his head, trying to clear it of the distracted, lost-in-his-own-thoughts bullshit he ended up falling to even though he purposefully tried to avoid it earlier. While he had been zoned out, Kurusu had apparently taken the ring of keys back out of his pocket and unlocked the lockbox, pulling out what seemed to be a custom-built tablet out from its neatly-organized, if absolutely stuffed interior. Kurusu closed the box back up, but didn’t lock it yet, instead just bringing the tablet over towards Goro and plopping down next to him on the couch.</p><p>Goro glared at Kurusu, biting his tongue in favor of keeping a close eye on what he was doing. The tablet seemed to be fairly normal as Kurusu turned it on and tapped around until he got to a weird-looking video-call app. There weren’t any contacts listed or saved there, as far as Goro could tell, but Kurusu opened up an address bar and typed in a long, complicated string of numbers and letters from memory instead. Once he finished and tapped the enter button, the screen shifted to a black background with a little dialing phone animation in the middle, with a preview window of Kurusu and Goro’s faces in the corner, captured by the tablet’s own camera.</p><p>“And now, we wait,” Kurusu announced, giving Goro an embarrassed smile. Goro glared, and Kurusu laughed before he could snap at him for even more waiting coming up. “Sorry, I know. She- uh, the woman I’m calling, she’s usually pretty busy, but she always makes sure to answer as soon as she knows I’m calling, so-”</p><p>“Hello <em>darling~</em>” A voice rang out from the tablet, and Goro peered at the call image as it slowly formed into something visible. As the static and lag gradually cleared up, the face of a woman came into focus. She looked to be somewhere in her late twenties to early thirties, with short black hair and grey eyes, just like Akira’s, though her hair was far straighter and more purposefully styled. She had a small mole off to the side and below her mouth on the left, and the makeup she wore rivaled the work of the best stylists in the Japanese TV industry. Like Akira, she wore glasses that Goro wagered were there for style rather than necessity, and she was currently idly waving the tiniest lollipop Goro had ever seen about as she smiled at the camera. </p><p>“Hey mom,” Kurusu replied, seeming a little bashful at the effusive joy of the woman’s greeting. Gears started clicking into place in Goro’s head, and began to whirr and turn as the woman- Kurusu’s mother- replied.</p><p>“How <em>lovely</em> to hear from you darling, it feels like it’s been ages!” She spoke Japanese with an oddly posh, British inflection to her words, though the ease in which she spoke belied a well-studied fluency despite the lingering accent. “I do hope the big city hasn’t roughed you up too badly- <em>oh,</em> and I see you’ve brought a little friend along to chat, and quite a handsome one at that.” Goro found himself blushing at the elder Kurusu’s praise, despite having been called handsome countless times since he took up the mantle of the Detective Prince.</p><p>As he blushed, though, the woman’s eyes turned a touch more serious, her jovial tone turning more pointed. “He must be someone you trust ever-so-dearly if you’ve brought him to chat with me.”</p><p>Goro felt a chill run through him at the sudden threatening aura underlining the woman’s words, but when he glanced nervously over towards Akira, he was just rolling his eyes. “Yes, mom, I know... I guess I should introduce you guys- Mom, this is Goro Akechi, a detective and a friend of mine. Goro, this is my mom, Cereza." Goro bowed his head, half out of respect, half to hide his displeasure at Kurusu so easily calling him by his first name. Cocky prick. Kurusu kept talking. “It’s kind of a long story, but we’re in a sort of I-know-your-greatest-secret, you-know-mine kinda deal. He’s trustworthy. Right?” </p><p>Kurusu turned towards Goro at the end, prompting him to back him up. Goro just rolled his eyes briefly and addressed the camera politely- he didn’t turn his full megawatt Charming Boy mode on, there was no need for that here, but it wouldn’t do to piss off a potential source of information. “Your son and I are... I suppose the most accurate term to use would be ‘rivals,’ considering our respective roles in society and our comparable strengths. That having been said, while we are both able to traverse the Metaverse, his more... demonic abilities are totally foreign to me, and it is if nothing else the most basic of duties for a detective to gather new information however one can. As well as to ensure the privacy of his sources, of course.”</p><p>It became harder and harder for Goro to keep up his serious, focused attitude as he spoke, as Kurusu’s mother grew visibly more and more delighted with every word he said. “Oh, aren’t you just a <em>dove-</em> darling, I must say you have some excellent taste in the company you keep, he’s such a polite, well-mannered little bird.”</p><p>Goro felt flushed and a little pissed off at being referred to as a <em>dove</em> and a <em>bird</em> of all fucking things, but Kurusu just laughed. “As if. Goro might talk a good game, but he’s got a sharper tongue than you do on a bad day, if you piss him off.”</p><p>Resisting the urge to shoot Kurusu a death glare, Goro kept his eyes on the tablet screen, Kurusu’s mother growing oddly soft and touched at her son’s words. “...you really have found a human of your own, haven’t you? And so soon, too... I’m very happy for you, dear.”</p><p>Kurusu went red at that, waved his hands forcefully. “Uh, it’s not like that yet, mom, seriously-” </p><p>His mother started laughing as soon as Kurusu blushed, and Goro started feeling something simmering in his gut besides the intense curiosity that led him here in the first place... </p><p>Jealousy. </p><p>Kurusu really had it all, didn’t he? Friends, power, a loving parent... his living situation in the attic here was pretty shitty, and he’d gotten caught up in an awful lot of shit for only having been in Tokyo a short time, but Goro had dealt with both of those things too, and with none of Kurusu’s advantages at the start. </p><p>He couldn’t afford to sit and stew in his bitterness, though. The elder Kurusu- Cereza- had finished her laugh, wiping a non-existent tear from her eye as she settled again. “Well, if you’re the one little Akira has gotten attached to, and you’ve apparently already seen some of his abilities, I suppose you’re owed a bit of an explanation, at least.” She put a hand up to the side of her mouth, as if theatrically trying to stop Akira from hearing what she said next. “My son’s an absolute wonder, but he’s a bit shit at talking about things at length, much less explaining what the hell he’s up to.”</p><p>Kurusu whined at that, but Goro was barely paying attention to him at this point, wholly locked in on whatever Cereza was going to say next, as she leaned back in what was apparently a well-padded rattan armchair she was lounging in. “I’m not the type to monologue, so I’ll make it quick. Akira and I come from a long line of Umbra Witches, a clan that’s typically ladies’ only, but I’ve never been one for stodgy tradition. With the forces of Paradiso and Inferno always chomping at the bit to gobble up all the tasty little humans, our role is to keep the balance of light and darkness in check. We forge contracts with the more tolerable residents of Inferno, and borrow their might to kill off any naughty angels or gods that get too cheeky for their own good.”</p><p>Goro’s mind was racing with everything he was learning, but Cereza wasn’t quite finished yet. “Now, dear Akira is only <em>half</em>-witch, all the human-ness he got from his darling little father limiting how powerful he can be, but as you’ve apparently already seen, little dove, my boy can still most certainly handle himself in a pinch.”</p><p>The <em>dove</em> comment combined with his general confusion at terms like <em>Paradiso</em> and <em>Umbra Witches</em> all sparked the nastier, jealous feelings Goro had been trying to keep buried back to life again, temporarily overriding his fascination to make him lash out and snap, “Yes, he’s <em>certainly</em> quite a capable young man- enough so to murder two people in just as many months, by my count. Isn’t that right, <em>dear Akira?”</em></p><p>Goro turned a smile that was at once brilliantly charming and insidiously nasty at Akira, who for the first time since they met actually looked genuinely pissed off at Goro- and considering how instantaneously his mother’s demeanor switched from casual lounging to dagger-eyed alertness, Goro couldn’t blame him. “And what might the little dove mean by <em>that</em>, Akira?”</p><p>Kurusu- no, fuck it, if he was bold enough to call Goro by his first name without asking, it was only proper for Goro to return the favor- Akira bristled at the question, but he let out a short, tired sigh, and leaned forwards, elbows on his knees, and started to explain.</p><p>His story caught Goro by surprise almost as much as his mother’s had. Akira spoke of coming to Tokyo, and having his dreams on his first night at Leblanc get interrupted by visions of some strange blue prison and its stranger inhabitants. He got warped into the Metaverse by surprise on his first day of school, and had to fight his way out using his Witch Powers. </p><p>The next time his dreams led him to the Velvet Room, Akira’s Umbral abilities were more active, including his ability to perceive multiple planes of reality at the same time. This allowed him to see through the glamour disguising the blue room’s ‘host’ and see the creature for what it really was; an angelic monstrosity, seemingly trying to manipulate Akira into unwittingly doing its bidding. He chased the monster out, rescuing the Room’s true inhabitants in the process, and with their aid and his pact with the demon Arsene, he was able to sweep through his lecherous gym teacher’s Palace, helping his friends awaken to their Personas along the way, though he himself never awoke to one. </p><p>Goro’s nerdy side was fascinated by that little tidbit, and he almost started obsessively wondering if there was some sort of hierarchy of supernatural powers that precluded one another, or if pacts with demons interfered with the nature of one’s heart enough to prevent a Persona from manifesting- but Akira’s story wasn’t done.</p><p>Kamoshida’s reaction to their infiltration was fascinating- and more than that, terrifying. The further they went through the Palace, the more violent and aggressive the man started to act in reality, something Goro had never encountered before during his own adventures. When he went so far as to beat one of his students badly enough to break several bones, the Thieves made the decision to try and steal the man’s heart, not caring when their strange mentor-cat warned them that Kamoshida might die in the attempt.</p><p>Goro thought that this would have been the cause of Kamoshida’s mysterious demise, but things only got stranger from there. Kamoshida was already transformed into his shadow’s monstrous version when they went for the treasure, and unlike the shadows that Goro had fought, didn’t turn into a cowering, whimpering mess when they defeated him, instead ranting and raving about the horrors he’d inflict on the students and teachers around him as soon as they left. They hadn’t even gotten a chance to steal his treasure, the whole Palace bursting into unearthly flames before they could try, forcing them to flee.</p><p>None of them were willing to risk anyone else getting hurt by Kamoshida, so Akira had resolved to do whatever he had to in order to stop the crazed man. He went into the gym teacher’s office at night, and found Kamoshida hunched over, those same flames dancing across his body, parts of his human body warped and disfigured and transformed into the monstrous form his shadow had taken inside his Palace. Akira had been forced to summon Arsene in the real world when Kamoshida attacked, and their battle had left the room a blackened, bloody mess, Akira being forced to use Arsene’s most violent attacks to have any chance at stopping the bestial monster.</p><p>And if that wasn’t enough, when Akira and his friends had discovered the artist Madarame’s abuses of his former and current students, and had worked ten times as slowly and carefully to carry out a change of heart on the man correctly this time, the exact same thing had happened. They couldn’t stop, of course, it would be unacceptable to see the sort of evil that people like Madarame (and now, Kaneshiro) were up to, have the ability to do something about it, and just walk away. But Akira admitted, more quietly, more frightened than Goro had heard him sound before, that he had a feeling things were only going to get worse and worse from here on out.</p><p>By the time Akira had finished his story, the sun had fully gone down, and both Goro and Cereza were in almost mirror-image poses in their respective seats, one leg crossed over their knee, stroking their chins, expressions deeply, deeply troubled. Cereza spoke first. “From what I can tell, it sounds as if there’s some sort of petulant godling manipulating all the little humans in Tokyo- and good on you for stopping it from manipulating you as well, dear.” Akira blushed a little at the compliment, but the atmosphere was far too serious to linger on it for long. “I’ve no bloody idea how the bastard is transforming humans into monstrous beasties, but I’d wager that this ‘Metaverse’ business you spoke of is more or less an alternate dimension being projected by that same little godling, manifesting people’s thoughts and feelings and whatnot and giving them form.”</p><p>“From what the real Igor and Lavenza said, the Metaverse has been around for a long time,” Akira countered- not argumentatively, just also trying to untangle the truth of the situation. “Maybe for as long as there’s been humans at all.”</p><p>“...if that’s true, it’s rather troubling, since as far as I’m aware, neither us Witches nor any of our more... seedy allies have ever indicated knowing anything about it. How curious...” She tapped her bottom cheek, then sighed, leaned over off-camera to nab a fresh lollipop. “I’ll have to check in with my sources and see what I can dig up. Oh, and I suppose now’s as good a time as any to say that I’ve been unable to enter Tokyo myself for the past couple years.”</p><p>“<em>What?</em>” Goro and Akira said as one, though Goro was the only one to press further. “From what I’ve gathered, aren’t you some all-powerful, demon-summoning witch or something?”</p><p>“Precisely my point, dear,” she nodded, looking annoyed. “After that terrible incident with the politician and the lawsuit and whatnot, I thought sending little Akira off to Tokyo for a year would kill several annoying birds with a single stone, shed some light on things... I can’t say I quite expected the situation to be <em>this</em> troublesome, though.”</p><p>Silence fell upon the dusty attic for a good couple of minutes as the three of them mulled over everything, then Cereza broke the quiet with a noisy sigh. “Well, nobody ever solved anything by lazing about with their thumbs up their arses. I’ll do some more digging on my end and see if I can’t pierce whatever barrier is keeping me out of Tokyo with some more... <em>intense firepower.</em> You keep chugging along on your end, dear- and do keep an eye on my son, won’t you, little dove?” She addressed Goro with a gentle smile, more sincere-looking than the others he’d seen her give so far. “He’s lovely, but a bit of a gay disaster when the going gets tough.”</p><p>Goro barked out a surprised laugh at that, at the same time that Akira groaned in complaint. “I’ll do my best, Cereza-san. Considering what I’ve seen of him so far, I’d wager that the two of us are rather similar in that respect, but perhaps we can keep each other in check if nothing else.”</p><p>Akira’s mom laughed lightly and nodded. “Good enough. Take care of yourself, dears, I’ll be in touch soon.”</p><p>“You too, mom,” Akira said as they both waved at each other, and Goro had to grasp his hand to keep himself from instinctively joining in.</p><p>The last thing Goro saw of Akira’s mom was a cheeky glance his way and a wink before the call cut off.</p><p>Akira flopped back into the thin cushions of his couch and let out a noisy sigh. “Well... that was...”</p><p>“...a lot?” Goro offered, leaning back a little as well, though not doing anything as undignified as <em>flopping</em>. </p><p>Akira chuckled a little. “Yeah, pretty much.” They sat for a little bit before Akria turned his head in Goro’s direction and asked “What do you think?”</p><p>Goro didn’t respond for a few seconds, gathering his thoughts, then sighed. “...you’re a half-human witch, from a line of women who make pacts with demons- demons that are apparently <em>real</em>, as is heaven and hell- in order to fight against angels, who are actually just as malevolent as demons are. Is that the basic gist of things?”</p><p>“Yyyyyyyyyyyyyyep,” Akira drawled, a tired little smile on his lips.</p><p>Goro sighed again, waved his hand vaguely. “It’s really none of my business. Gods and demons and strange old assholes in blue rooms... I have my own goals here, Akira. I have a mission I’ve been working on for the past two years, and I’ve never encountered any of the nonsense you’ve been talking about before now. I’ll admit that the thought of some angelic god-thing manipulating Tokyo from the shadows is concerning, it really doesn’t have anything to do with me.”</p><p>Out of the corner of his eye, Goro could see Akira’s tired smile grow a little sad, shifting to stare at the floorboards between his feet. “When things that call themselves ‘Gods’ are involved, everything usually has to do with everything else.” Goro frowned at that, but Akira wasn’t done. “If you’ve been doing shit in the Metaverse for two or so years, that god thing has probably tried to influence you at least once, like he tried to do with me. Right?”</p><p>Brief, buried memories flashed in Goro’s head, of dreams he had back when he first arrived in Tokyo of a featureless, dark room and a deep booming voice that seemed to come from everywhere at once, telling him of his power and his purpose and what he could achieve. </p><p>He remembered comforting himself in those early days exploring Mementos, when he had nobody else in the world to rely on and his only comfort was the thought that if he was given these powers by a God, like the voice in his dreams had said, he must be doing something right. He remembered the praise he got from the voice when he made his deal with Shido and took down his first target, the cold, icy comfort the voice’s words had given him, and the determination he felt to see his vengeance through to the end, no matter what sins he had to commit to get there.</p><p>If he hadn’t had those dreams, would Goro have lost his nerve somewhere along the way? Would he have faltered? Questioned his purpose and his mission?</p><p>Akira must have seen something in Goro’s face as he thought back, as he nodded, his expression serious, and quiet fell between them once more.</p><p>Goro thought for a while longer, mulling over what he had learned and what he knew already, and ended up with one path that might let him take care of all of this bullshit at once. “Let’s make a deal,” he started, sitting up straight and turning his gaze to Akira’s curious face. “I’ll assist you and your little friends with the Metaverse; I’ll lend my expertise in dealing with Palaces and the more dangerous parts of Mementos, stop you from getting yourselves killed, and I’ll lend my deductive talents towards figuring out why your targets have been reacting as they have. In addition, I’ll teach you all how to stay hidden from some of the... greater powers at play here. I will not name names, so don’t bother asking, but... Madarame was in the employ of someone extremely powerful, and it just so happens that Kaneshiro is in the pocket of the same man. I’ll help you idiots keep out of their crosshairs, stop you from continuing to jackhammer into this beehive you seem so determined to wake up.”</p><p>Kurusu laughed at that, and Goro felt a stupid little kernel of pride at making him laugh. Idiot. Partially to try and tamp down that stupid, warm feeling in his gut, he turned more serious, his gaze more severe. “In return for my services... you’ll tell me all about your Witch ancestry and powers... and train me in whatever dark arts you people practice. I point-blank refuse to offer even an ounce of aid while remaining your inferior in strength and combat capabilities.”</p><p>Akira didn’t laugh this time, but he was still grinning, all cocky and happy. “I’m only really a beginner in that stuff myself, Goro, but I’d be happy to share what I know. It’d be kinda nice to be able to actually talk to someone about all this weird shit my family’s wrapped up in for once...” His gaze grew a touch rueful at that, but he shook it off a second later. “Though to be honest, I was kinda planning on doing that anyways, deal or not.”</p><p>The way Akira was looking at Goro was starting to get uncomfortably soft and admiring, and Goro didn’t have any more of a fucking clue what to do with all of that right now than he’d had the other times Akira had gotten all soft and warm and shit, so he just tried to keep himself from squirming under Kurusu’s gaze. “I’ve... felt a strong bond between the two of us since we first met in the TV studio, instinctively and through more, uh, witch-y methods too, like we’re connected... destined to be close, like a rope tying us together...”</p><p>Embarrassment flooded through Goro, and it took all of the willpower he had left to slap on a smirking, confidant mask and quip “Well, if you were planning on teaching me all of that anyways, then I suppose there’s no reason for me to lend you my help in the first place, is there?”</p><p>“Wh- no! No, please help us, I was-” But Goro didn’t hear the rest of Kurusu’s hurried backpedaling, barking out laughter at how suddenly the thief’s voice grew all panicked and needy.</p><p>After he calmed down, Goro shot a fierce grin Akira’s way, and was glad to see it returned full-force. “It’s a deal, then.” Akira nodded, and with nothing else to really talk about, Goro stood up, brushed off his clothes of any dust that might have coated him since he came into this disgusting room. “I’ll message you when I’m free to meet with the rest of your team, then. After that, we’ll-”</p><p>“Wait!” Akira spoke up suddenly, and Goro turned back to see him reaching abortively towards Goro from the couch. Kurusu slowly retracted his hand under Goro’s confused gaze, and started toying with his bangs, a nervous expression on his face. “You should... stay... longer. I, uh-”</p><p>“I’m flattered you’re so eager, Kurusu,” Goro sighed, cracking his stiff neck as he spoke. “But frankly, I’m far too exhausted from our little fight earlier to deal with starting our Witchery lessons now, or whatever you were going to propose.”</p><p>“It wasn’t anything like that!” Akira objected, sounding oddly childish and petulant. “It’s just... look, I’m still pretty new to having like... close friends and stuff. I was pretty isolated as a kid thanks to how secretive my mom had to be, so you and the other thieves are pretty much....” He trailed off, mumbling something that sounded like '<em>my first friends.'</em></p><p>For the first time in a while, Goro felt a pang of empathy for Kurusu, remembering days of having to sit with the old men at the public bath in his home town, the other parents in the town keeping their children away from the kid of <em>that woman</em> who worked in <em>that club,</em> as if he was infectious. </p><p>Hesitantly, Kurusu took a deep breath and straightened up from the hunch he had gotten in, some of his confidence and posture coming back to him, a cross between his more honest, nervous side and the overwhelming capability he had shown off back in Penguin Sniper. “Would you... like to play some video games with me?” Akira gestured next to where Goro was standing, and now that Goro looked, he saw what looked to be an old-ass Famicom hooked up to an ancient CRT monstrosity, with a couple cartridges scattered about and two controllers plugged in already. “I’m not great at them yet, but... it might be fun?”</p><p>A sliver of deeply sincere earnestness slipped through the cracks of Kurusu’s voice, and while Goro knew that he really shouldn’t, that thanks to the path he walked, getting close to anybody like this was a risk for both parties, that even with their deal and the new, strange world he was entering, there were a hundred different reasons why Goro shouldn’t let this budding bond between the two of them flourish into something brighter, something vulnerable...</p><p>“...I’m new to this too,” Goro admitted, not specifying whether he meant the video games or having friends. He sat back down on the couch and grabbed one of the controllers for himself with a sigh. “But if there’s one thing I’ve learned since ending up in this fucking city, it’s that you only get stronger through experience.”</p><p>Without even looking at him, Goro could feel the strength of Akira’s grin burning through the back of his head, and the thief even gave Goro a quick one-armed hug before bounding over to turn the TV on. “Take a look at the games and pick one that looks cool, I’ll head downstairs and get us some more coffee!”</p><p>Akira waved his hand as he headed towards the stairs, the magic circle keeping their conversation hidden from those in the cafe below flashing bright, then vanishing as he headed downstairs. With a tired, but content sigh, Goro let himself smile, just a little, as he leaned forwards to sort through Kurusu’s meager collection of games and settled in for what was likely to be a long, warm night.</p><p>
  
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  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Surprise! It's a Bayonetta-is-Akira's-mom AU! X}DDD</p><p>The title of the fic is from the song "Mother" by Danzig, which is an absurdly edgy song, but just cool enough and fitting enough that I thought it'd be very funny to use as the title song of the fic. Look it up and take a listen, its great.</p><p>If the image at the end of the fic isn't showing up for you, <a href="https://twitter.com/In0tteri/status/1293019392477888515&gt;%20click%20here%20for%20In0tteri's%20tweet%20with%20the%20pic%20in%20it!%20&lt;/a&gt;%20I%20tried%20my%20best%20to%20get%20ao3's%20weird%20image%20interface%20to%20work,%20but%20it's%20confusing%20and%20I%20am%20a%20very%20simple%20lad%20who%20does%20not%20know%20how%20to%20code%20and%20stuff.%20It's%20a%20really%20amazing%20piece%20though,%20so%20check%20it%20out%20if%20it's%20not%20showing%20up%20here!!!%0A%0AI've%20been%20wanting%20to%20do%20an%20AU%20like%20this%20since%20the%20end%20of%20last%20year,%20quietly%20collecting%20little%20scraps%20of%20ideas%20to%20flesh%20out%20the%20joke%20that%20Bayonetta%20kinda%20acts%20and%20looks%20like%20she%20could%20be%20Akira's%20mom%20into%20a%20full-fledged%20AU%20with%20real%20stakes%20and%20rules%20and%20stuff.%20And%20now%20it's%20here!!%0A%0AI'm%20really,%20really%20proud%20of%20how%20this%20turned%20out,%20there%20are%20definitely%20some%20scenes%20in%20here%20that%20I'd%20say%20are%20some%20of%20the%20best%20I've%20written%20so%20far,%20imo.%20Add%20on%20%20&lt;a%20href="> @In0tteri's amazing art of the boys chilling and gaming, </a> and I'm just laying on the floor grinning over here.</p><p>I'd like to continue this AU!!! I had an idea of doing a prequel fic first, from Akira's POV as he goes through all the shit leading up to this fic, but after thinking it through *coughandwritingan8pageoutlineforthreehourscoughcough* I think I'll probably just continue it from here, sprinkling flashbacks to Akira's side of things throughout. Keep an eye out for when that comes out!!!</p><p>That's all I've got! Check out the rest of the fics in the <a href="https://archiveofourown.org/collections/Shuake_Big_Bang_2020"> Shuake Big Bang 2020 collection, </a> there's a ton that I'm super looking forwards to reading myself in there, and some of my all-time favorite P5 authors too! If you enjoyed this, check out my Childhood Friends AU longfic, <a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/21227510"> Like The Moon, We Borrow Our Light, </a> which gets its next update this thursday, 8/14, and if you'd like more regular updates on my writing progress, or just want to see me get really hyped about that deleted Akechi-at-the-hot-springs-rehab-place-scene that came out last week, my twitter is <a href="https://twitter.com/SevventhSteen"> @SevventhSteen! </a></p><p>And one more time, for those in the back, the amazing art here at the end of the fic was by <a href="https://twitter.com/in0tteri?lang=en"> @In0tteri </a> ! </p><p>See y'all soon!!!</p>
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